LONDON -- NCR Corporation (NYSE:NCR) has signed a $14.4 million hardware and software deal with China Construction Bank (CCB). The bank, which has more than 8,000 ATMs across China, will deploy NCR's Personas 84 and Personas 86 ATMs.
In addition to providing more convenience to customers, the introduction of the new ATMs will further enable CCB to develop its card business. With increasing use of smart cards in China, CCB sees the ATM as an important channel for smart card replenishment, according to a news release.
Noting that there are now 50,000 ATMs in China, Albert Tsang, NCR Financial Solutions division vice president for the Greater China area, called the country "one of the fastest growing markets in Asia."
In May the manufacturer sold 60 Personas ATMs and software and support to Beijing Commercial Bank in what NCR officials called a "multi-million dollar deal." In 2001, NCR also inked deals with Shanghai-based Bank of Communication, Agricultural Bank of China, Men Sheng Bank and Bank of China. NCR has said it plans to open an office in Xian and extend service to the northwestern part of the country to keep up with the pace of business growth in China.
China's ATM market appears ready for a major expansion. According to a March report in the English-language newspaper China Daily, a company called China Unionpay Co. Ltd. has plans to link the ATMs of all of the country's banks by 2005. The company has already linked ATMs in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shenzhen, according to the report.
